School of Advanced Nutritional and Medical Research

Prescriptions for Healthy Living, Feb 2004
Dr. James Balch

     I've been a huge fan of chelation therapy for more than 20 years. Chelation is a marvelous means of restoring health in folks with heart and circulation problems. And it really works!
    I've personally witnessed hundreds of cases of men and women who have undergone chelation treatments and have seen their symptoms vastly improved.
    Angina, for instance, often goes away! Intermittent claudication patients can walk without pain in their legs. And, people with circulation problems have more energy and clarity of thought and their aches and pains clear up rapidly.
    Best of all, chelation is extremely safe. I've never had anyone stop the therapy due to unpleasant side effects.
    The compound most often used with chelation is EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid), which typically is intravenously injected into one of your veins. Chelation works by grabbing hold of toxic metals and minerals in your bloodstream and pulling them out of your body, through your kidneys. In the process, it clears out your veins and arteries, allowing your blood to flow more freely and detoxifies your body!
     When chelation was first used in medicine, it was not used to reverse blood vessel blockages, as it is often used today. Sometime around 1941, chelation began to be used to extract toxic lead accumulations.
     Early in the 1950s, doctors observed that patients treated for lead poisoning with chelation therapy stopped having angina attacks. A few progressive cardiovascular physicians who were searching for alternatives, apart from heart surgery, to remove plaque from diseased arteries, became excited about this benefit.

     Today, chelation is still not endorsed by the American Heart Association for treatment of angina or blood vessel obstruction. But many progressive physicians offer chelation treatments to their patients and have experienced enormous success. Here are some of the things my own patients have noticed after a series of chelation treatments:

• Lower cholesterol levels
• Diabetics use less insulin
• Lower blood pressure
• Normalization of irregular heartbeats
• Leg cramps vanish
• Allergies disappear
• Memory and concentration are restored
• Hearing has improved and the senses of taste and smell return
• Arthritic aches and pains are reduced
• Hands and feet are no longer cold
• Impotence is reversed (with no need for Viagra)
• Energy is revived
• Hair loss slows - and in some cases reverses!

     Now I know this list sounds too good to be true, but I've witnessed things again and again. All of them were possible because these folks tried chelation.
The benefits of chelation are real, even the FDA endorses chelation for the removal of toxic metals.
     So why don't more patients use this effective method of restoring the body to health! Well, one reason is expense and another is the amount of time involved. Most chelation doctors feel that a person will usually need between 20-40 treatments for arteriosclerosis. Each treatment takes about two hours and costs range from $75 to $125 -and this is out-of-pocket. (Chelation is not covered by insurance.)
     A day off is required between treatments, so even if you have an urgent problem, it still takes several weeks to complete a series of treatments. Those who work may not have time in their schedule for chelation.
And I believe a lot of folks just don't like needles (the intravenous approach).

     While the intravenous method is the most popular and accepted form of chelation, I've got some great news! Ronald, a subscriber from Floral City, Florida, recently asked me the following question: "Would it be alright for a 75 year-old man on metoprolol and lotrel blood pressure medication to start taking oral chelation? Do you have a specific recommendation?"
     Believe it or not, oral chelation offers the same benefits with no needles and it costs a lot less. How can I be sure? I've seen the benefits over and over again with people I know.

     Ralph had the most amazing result using oral chelation that I personally have ever heard of or witnessed. When I met Ralph, he told me that for many years he had suffered with very cold hands and feet and with blockages in the arteries in his legs. The painful leg cramps made his early morning walks on the beach very difficult.
     But pain was not the reason he stopped walking. Ralph was blind. He began to lose his sight in his 60s and he chalked his failing eyesight up to normal aging. The lights finally went out for him at age 72 and his life was drastically changed. No more walks on the beach. Driving and reading were now impossible. He was forced to spend his days listening to books on tape and listening to the television.
     When, at his next check-up, his doctor told him his inactivity could cause the clots in his legs to kill him, he came to me for help. He did not want a bypass. And he did not want to die. He had heard about chelation but he hated needles and could not stand the thought of having one in his arm for two hours. He was hoping I could suggest an alternative to chelation to help him with his circulation problems. I told him chelation was still his answer, but he'd never have to suffer a single needle stick.
     I knew in my heart that oral chelation would be the perfect answer for Ralph's bad circulation. Oral chelation uses the same compounds as IV chelation, you just take them by mouth. It does not work as fast as the IV approach, but make no mistake, it works just as well!
     Ralph was thrilled to hear about this option, but the best was yet to come.
     Before he got started, I checked Ralph's kidneys. Assessing a chelation candidate's kidney health is important because the excretion of lead and mercury in the urine is stressful to unhealthy kidneys. I knew based on his blood work and urinalysis that his kidneys were in good shape, so I had Ralph take 5,000 mg of EDTA daily between meals. The dose was derived based on studies that show you should use 1,000 mg per 35 pounds of body weight. Ralph weighed 175 pounds.
     I also had Ralph take a good trace mineral supplement. One caution with chelation therapy in general is that chelating agents are not as specific as we would like and are likely to remove essential trace minerals along with the toxic metals. Socvvvvv replacing the minerals is essential when doing any form of chelation. Trace mineral supplements are also important because essential minerals compete with toxic metals for binding sites.
In other words, when you have optimal levels of minerals, your risk of toxicity of heavy metals is greatly reduced.
     Along with the EDTA and the minerals, Ralph took N-acetyl cysteine and alpha lipoic acid to protect his liver. He also took nine grams a day of vitamin C to assist in the removal of toxic metals.

     The first thing Ralph noticed was that his eyesight began to come back! At first, he thought maybe he was imagining things. But by 12 weeks, he could see the television and he could walk unassisted throughout his house and yard. By four months, he was back on the beach every morning, feeling like a new man. His leg cramps were gone, his blood pressure was back to normal, and he no longer had cold hands and feet.
     Aging had not robbed Ralph of his eyesight. But as his circulation improved, his vision came back.
     Chelation therapy allowed a blind man to see again! It was nothing short of a miracle for Ralph; it could be for you, too.
     So to answer Ronald's question, yes, I do think it's fine for you to start using oral chelation.
     Here's how to use oral chelating products.
     First, make sure your kidney function is normal. Make an appointment with your doctor and ask for these three tests:

• A test to measure creatinine
• A test to measure protein in the urine
• A simple blood pressure test.

     Creatinine is a waste product in the blood created by the normal breakdown of muscle during activity. Healthy kidneys filter creatinine from the blood and excrete it in the urine. If your kidneys are not working properly, creatinine levels increase in the blood. Healthy kidneys filter out wastes in the blood but leave the protein in blood alone. Impaired kidneys fail to remove blood protein [Blood Urea Nitrogen], leading to a condition called proteinuria, which means protein in the urine. Proteinuria is a sign of poor kidney function. High blood pressure also may be an indication of poor kidney function.
     Once you're sure your kidneys are fine, you can begin oral chelation. Start by improving the level of minerals and trace minerals in your body. Look for a good multi-mineral at your local health food store that provides macro minerals and trace minerals and take the suggested dose with meals.
     Then add a good oral chelating supplement. Today, my favorite is one developed by Dr. Garry Gordon, co-founder of the American College of Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and a pioneer in chelation therapy. Dr. Gordon is widely acknowledged as the father of oral chelation therapy. His product is considered the premier oral chelation product on the market today. It is called Beyond Chelation and is available from Longevity Plus (800-580-7587).
     Beyond Chelation also contains malic acid, a naturally occurring organic acid found in apples. Malic acid possesses the wonderful ability to help dissolve aluminum deposits, chelate and carry the aluminum into the blood, and escort it through the kidneys for safe elimination. This is great to know considering the aluminum-toxic environment we live in. Vaccines, antiperspirants, antacids, drinking water, medicines, and many other everyday products contain aluminum, which is a highly toxic metal that's associated with Alzheimer's disease. EDTA itself does not chelate aluminum, so it's important that this product has the malic acid.

     Troubling reports have confirmed that relatively "non-toxic" low-levels of multiple heavy metals can combine to produce extreme toxicity. Heavy metal poisoning is a real problem today, and if you think it won't happen to you - think again. You don't have to work in a dangerous environment like agriculture to be exposed.
     If you eat a lot of fish, have silver fillings in your teeth, received vaccinations as a child or as an adult, or drink tap water, there's a very good chance that you have a fair amount of toxic metals in your system.
     For instance, people in general have 1,000 times the amount of lead in our bones than we did 500 years ago, and mercury, aluminum, zinc, and copper overloads are associated with impaired brain health.
     I feel oral chelation is a must for everyone!
     Anyone who wants the benefits of chelation therapy at a lower cost and without needles should celebrate this news. You now know inexpensive oral chelation with calcium EDTA isn't a hoax. In fact, it's effective in heavy metal removal, it's safe, and it's quite affordable!

Dr. James Balch